Understanding Distribution Outputs

Site managers can configure the Content Server to upload recordings automatically to Podcast Producer, Cisco Show and Share, or iTunes U. Users with the appropriate permissions then can interact with uploaded recordings—for example, view, further distribute, or if possible, edit them—from those product interfaces.

If the Content Server has appropriate media server configurations, users with permissions can manually upload existing recordings to these products.

Note For information about what users can do to recordings from the Podcast Producer, Cisco Show and Share, or iTunes U interface, see the documentation for those products.

If you opt for this type of distribution, the Content Server acts as a recording and capture device. If recordings have no other outputs except the distribution output types though Podcast Producer, Cisco Show and Share, or iTunes U, users cannot view these recordings on the Content Server.

Step 4 Create a template that has a distribution output that uses the server configuration that you created. From the Management tab, go to Recording Setup > Templates.

Step 5 Click Add template.

Step 6 In the page that appears, check Distributed to Podcast Producer, Show and Share or iTunes U.

Step 7 In Outputs for distribution to Podcast Producer, Show and Share or iTunes U section, check the Podcast Producer, Show and Share, or iTunes box. You can check the box only if Content Server has a media server configuration for Podcast Producer, Show and Share, or iTunes U.

Any recording that is created with a recording alias that uses the template that you made is automatically uploaded to the media server that is configured in that template. (See Chapter 4, "Understanding Recording Aliases" for information about what is included in a recording alias.)

After the recording call is finished, the Content Server transcodes the recording in the specified size. When transcoding is finished, the Content Server uploads the recording file to the media server (Podcast Producer, Cisco Show and Share, or iTunes U) with the credentials that were specified in the media server configuration.

If a user uses the Content Editor on the Content Server to edit the length of a recording that has an output that was already uploaded to Podcast Producer, Cisco Show and Share, or iTunes U), the Content Server transcodes the recording and uploads the newly edited version to the external media server. Previous versions of the recording on that media server are not overwritten; the media server can have a number of recordings of different lengths that are from one Content Server recording.

Uploading Existing Recordings to Podcast Producer, Cisco Show and Share, or iTunes U

Users with appropriate permissions can upload any existing recording to Podcast Produce, Cisco Show and Share, or iTunes U:

Step 1 Locate the recording that you want to upload to an external media server. For that recording, click Manage outputs.

Step 2 In the page that appears, check Distributed to Podcast Producer, Show and Share or iTunes U.

Step 3 In the Outputs for distribution to Podcast Producer, Show and Share or iTunes U section, check the Podcast Producer, Show and Share, or iTunes box. You can check the box only if Content Server has a media server configuration for Podcast Producer, Show and Share, or iTunes U.

Step 5 For Show and Share or iTunes U, choose the recording size from the Size drop-down menu.

Step 6 Click Save.

After you click Save, the Content Server transcodes the recording in the specified size. When transcoding is finished, the Content Server uploads the recording file to the media server (Podcast Producer, Cisco Show and Share, or iTunes U) with the credentials that were specified by the site manager in the media server configuration.

If a user uses the Content Editor on the Content Server to edit the length of a recording that has an output that was already uploaded to Podcast Producer, Cisco Show and Share, or iTunes U), the Content Server transcodes the recording and uploads the newly edited version to the external media server. Previous versions of the recording on that media server are not overwritten; the media server can have a number of recordings of different lengths that are from one Content Server recording.

Understanding the Difference between Distribution Outputs and Streaming Servers

From the Management tab, you can configure both media servers for distribution outputs and media servers for streaming by going to Configure > Media server configurations. You can configure a relationship between the Content Server and one of the these five types of media servers in your network:

•Windows Media streaming server

•QuickTime or Darwin streaming server

•Wowza Media Server for Flash

•Podcast Producer

•iTunes U

•Show and Share

The first three media servers stream recordings from those servers, but users view those recordings through the Content Server web interface. Streaming servers extend the scale and capabilities for streaming live and recorded calls; add the ability to live stream MPEG-4 for QuickTime and MPEG-4 for Flash; and provide on-demand true streaming of MPEG-4 for QuickTime and MPEG-4 for Flash.

The last three media servers support distribution outputs, not streaming outputs.